When was the last time you were over 10,000 feet above sea-level without an airplane? Come to the top of the mountain and look down on a great city. We drove the road and looked from the top. Due to Covid all was closed so traffic was very quiet. Social distancing? Well 10,000 feet above Albuquerque was pretty distant!

Beautiful place to hike and enjoy the wilderness. There are trails you can follow, but you must stay on the trails, so no one gets lost. Theres a picnic area as you drive through the forest. The roads are bumpy and rocky. There are little streams of water that flow when you come across them. Fresh mountain water thats nice and cold, very awesome to see as its flowing in the mini river bed. Theres the sight of birds in the trees and cool sights of spider webs spun on the trees. I recommend coming out here to enjoy the fresh beauty of nature. If you come early, you have a whole day to enjoy and explore. Plus, theres places to grill safely and have a picnic. 5 stars!!

Great place to camp! Lots of areas to be tucked away from everyone else too. Plus is only about 30 minutes away from El Morro! Also an amazing place to visit and hike! Bring your water! Your gonna need it

Cibola National Forest is always amazing to explore. The rocky terrain to the staircase invitation to their many trails. Overlooking the city of Albuquerque, and lizards that stop to pose for a picture. A squirrel that seems to be seeing you out. They have two old rock houses to explore, and bison on your way out. absolutely beautiful landscape, you must be careful with the many cactus that grow there.

Had a great wedding for my daughter at Sullivan Ranch. Great memories

Love the trail networks. A former USFS biologist, Ive never seen another national forest that encourages public use like this one. And people on trails are almost universally friendly and careful, not throwing trash in their wake like you see everywhere else.

A few minute drive from the heart of the city where you can enjoy nature with a great scenery of the mountains and overlooking the city. A light and easy trail for beginners and a moderate level if you continue hiking all the way to the top. A great place to hike for all ages. You can also bring your pets. There’s a trail for bikers, as well. A decent size parking area at the entrance of the trail.

What? You want a review? Its the wilderness. I give nature five stars. Seriously though, the fact that more people from town dont come up here is baffling. The rising cliffs and rock formations look otherworldly and the tram system and trails are world class. If you live in Albuquerque and dont frequent this place, youre doing something wrong.

The drive up here is absolutely beautiful! There are plenty of trails to hike where you can soak in even more views. Many of the homes you see in the area are usually very well kept and fit the landscape. You get a completely different perspective of what the Sandia Mountains are like up that close. It’s absolutely amazed me how much there is to see. The skyline of Albuquerque from the top is also lovely. Highly recommend hiking this area if you have some time.

Nice hiking trail. Was able to do a short hike with the kids. Still need to hold their hands. No strollers. Also, restroom facilities!

Another great national forest trip. Recommended especially for mountain bike, atv and dirt bike fun!!

The locals are so warm, friendly & non-judgmental. They make it feel like home.

One of the many New Mexico gems.waking up to deer feeding and soothing sounds of the trees and wind is the best way to take a break from it all. It was a very good family experience

Great place to hike. We visited Albuquerque for about a week and did several hikes in the forest. Trails are well marked and easy to find our way around. The view from the top down into Albuquerque is great. Most of the hikes we went on were between easy and moderate

Does it get any better?McGaffey is full of trails for hiking, biking and exploring. It is cooler than town and so good!

Very close to Albuquerque, but still not crowded. One of the easier trips to get out into the wilderness on short notice. Lots of wildlife and tons of beautiful trees. The last burn area is revegitating nicely and is not as big as we thought on our last visit. Great place for hiking, wonderful trails.

The first site I tried to camp had locals huddled around a campfire despite having passed numerous NO CAMPFIRES signs. And they were trashy. My van is parked over a big wet spot with Kleenex in the middle of it. I wonder how that got there? I went to a different spot several miles away and its nice and quiet. I only see a few other cars a day go by.

Crowded, tried to elk hunt but people everywhere riding side by sides on and off the roads. Places they werent supposed to be. Scenery is nice but thats about it.

Stayed here for few days its dry camping but so cool met locales had good time

It was beautiful. The overall natural beauty compensates for what humans have done around the area. Its beautiful during sunset and amazing during rain with the clouds covering the mountain, the sun creating pretty shadows. I love it.

Its absolutely beautiful this time of year here. A lovely ride indeed.

We are so blessed to have so many trails and wilderness this close to the Metro. A person could hike for weeks straight without hitting the same trail. I love there are trails for most any time of the year as well.

Excellent and clean trail and trailhead parking lot for the continental divide trail. There are many trail off-shoots but the main trail was a great single track trail that appears well maintained. The Cibola National Forrest covers a large area. I was in the Mount Taylor Ranger District and these pictures reflect this area well.

I’m from South Carolina and I must say this is the most beautiful spot to get a stunning sunsets!! I could stay here and watch the sunset and sunrise everyday!!! So beautiful!!!

I was fortunate enough to be able to stay the night here during the lockdown, as many forest access roads were gated shut. Free, no neighbors, peaceful.

A wonderful back to nature destination! We thoroughly enjoyed the drive to the top. The road is in great condition and the views are spectacular. The picnic areas are clean and well maintained. All in all a wonderful trip that we cant wait to take again!! And if you have 4x4, be sure to take the unimproved road down the backside!! Gorgeous drive and an amazing cave about 6 milea in! That road is rough though and you will need good ground clearance. So worth it!

Sad..The mayor of Tijeras allows the cement co. to Shred the mountains to create cement and they dont have to replant the trees they destroy. This causes erosion and devastates the ecosystem. The schools have poisonous chemicals in the water system. Plus all the small business in the area are tainted as well. I guess the kick backs the cartel pays is worth it?!! The once beautiful mountains that were once there are now riddled with barren land. My family homestead Tijeras in 1598 use to see bison and other wild life roam the mountains now its just embarrassing as traffic passing through either via our highway 66 or interstate 40 just see ugly.

Really Beautiful place to go hiking and a good canyon drive. But if you want to go hike you half to bring a pen a $3 to pay for parking.

Beautiful hike above Water Canyon. (Not Handicapped accessible). Nice easy trail along forest road and thru the dry creek bed.

I love the place. It looks wonderous with the snow. We wanted to hike but we werent ready for the snow. Was quiet surprise how heavy the snow was. Im a bit sad that some people leave their trash on the road. Please pick up your trash and respect mother nature so that our children and their children get to see this beautiful place.

Its a wonderful sight! And if you go early in the morning its always nice and cool even in the middle of summer.

Went wood cutting here with some friends and was lots of fun and hard work

Forest was true green and beautiful!! Rain showers through out drive cool and refreshingStopped in light rain storm to enjoy a bit of lunchA great get away from daily troubles and stress

Beautiful ride and weather was nice ,nature is so awesome ,trees were spectacular the ride was just great.

Awesome views of Alburquerque at the top! We climbed the mountain on asphalt and found our way down on a dirt road! Both were state highways. It was a fun day in the forest escaping the city. The day pass was free with a seniors US National Park Pass.

Nice quiet place to camp plus nice plant fossils.

One of the best places to visit in ABQ NM

New Mexicos State Parks are closed to non-residents due to Covid. The National Forest is a great option, as it is not closed.

Beautiful trails in the foothills. Watch of for cyclists! Also stay off the fragile desert foliage.

Great place to be alone and get away from all the stress of city life couples spot for sure lol

Sandia Foothills are fantastic mountain biking and hiking terrain.

Only spent a couple of hours up on Sandia Peak, and it was great! If I have gotten snowed out on the trail Id have stayed longer...but with the wind kicking in and visibility dropping the trail was getting treacherous. Other than that, it was beautiful. And the smell...love that fir tree and wet needle smell.I see this is a ski resort during the winter, will have to come back and try it out...once I learn how to ski.

Had such a wonderful hike. Cant wait to return next year.

Beautiful trails! Great place to get away!

Our Herbal apprenticeship has lead us up the many trails where there is so many plant teachers. Im most grateful for the connection to mother earth here in these mountains. Shady trails, clean bathrooms & teeming with life!

Beautiful view at 4th of July Canyon Trail. Great little hike thats dog and kid friendly. Was pretty busy on Saturday- would recommend going during the week to avoid traffic.

Beautiful place to camp! Theres a ton of campsites along the Quaking Aspen Trail and an amazing bathroom at the start of the trail. I was only here for one night, so I cant comment on what there is to do out here, but it was a great overnight stop. Unfortunately, the campsite we were at had a bunch of broken whiskey bottles and live trees that were marred by axes, but that is no fault of the area. Please dont be an a-hole out in nature like this, pick up after yourselves you children.

Its a forest, of course its wonderful! Only hiked about an hour. Bring water. Our path was pretty rocky, had some grade.

A magical place that would be much better if the trams were more frequent. The eateries are pretty cool places too. Nice to escape summer heat due to the elevations and a place for skiing in winter.

I went with ABQ friends who have hiked the trails before. We left my rental at the tram parking lot because we wanted to take the tram back down to my rental. I suggest you do the same and have a ride ready if you do decide to go one way. We invited two hikers new to the trail who didnt want to trek back. We didnt mind helping them at all.

Beautiful country. If you take the Loop Rd. all the way around be careful. Its not an easy trek.

Beautiful! Be sure to go up to the peak & plan to spend some time at the top. Take pics, eat lunch, drink a beer, go for a short hike... we were in a rush, so we snapped some quick pics & had to come back down. We will do it right next trip!!

If you’re heading for the TWA crash, it’s pretty easy to get turned about. Use GPS and AllTrails. Some stones were marked along the path to help but we had a couple dead ends

Beautiful area to ski, sled or just take a drive to the top. The snow covered trees are gorgeous. The sledding area is organized into 3 separate hills and you only need to pay $3 for parking. This is an excellent family outing that wont break the bank. I havent tried the hiking trails but be prepared for it to be significantly colder than Albuquerque.

Wonderful and multiple hiking trails, scenic views, lovely drive. The trailheads offer restrooms, picnic areas and usually plenty of parking spots. Dogs allowed on leashes.

I went up to the famous airplane crash with some friends to spread one of my best friends ashes. We will always remember you buddy !!!!Derek Wilder!!!! GOD REST YOUR SOUL AND I WILL SEE YOU SOON.

Awesome place to hike. From beginner to avid hiker it , its a beautiful place to spend the day

The sandia mountains are amazing. So many outdoors activitys available. Miles and miles of trails. Beautiful scenery and breath taking views.

Learning a lot about this place by watching Better Call Saul... So much so that I had to leave a review.

Very pretty I recommend.

We have beautiful mountains in New Mexico fall colors and easy to find.

First time hiking in this particular forest and let me tell you, it was breathtaking! Tons of trails, and amazing views. I will definitely be back.

Great place to relax and enjoy time with the family.

Shadow Pine trial has great views of secluded Valley looking South from the upper part of the trial.

Beautiful drive south west of Datil out greens gap Rd you you have a choice either way nice trip.

The views are amazing and the trails around the peak are very well maintained. There is a $3 parking permit fee that you pay once you park at one of the signs. The gift shop isnt much but it has incredible views! This is an excellent stop if you are visiting Albuquerque.

Great hike with beautiful desert flora

Love this hike great for veteran hikers and newbies.

You get a great view of Albuquerque from the top lots of hiking trails

Beautiful, with dispersed camping in many areas. We didnt see any toilets or fire rings so come prepared.

Great place for early morning hike and the greatest thing is that it is pretty low impact.

Best hiking and amazing views

Stunning scenery and wonderful scenery.

Amazing place to hike. I would highly recommend bringing decent shoes for the rocky portion of the trails.

,Went horse back riding at the Cedar Crest Stables in Cibola National Forest had a awesome ride highly recommend it to anyone.

Lots cooler than ABQ. A good weekend getaway and nice campsites.

Absolutely beautiful area, mountains, streams, caves, within 30minute drive from Albuquerque. Great for hiking, biking and riding, climbing the cliffs to get into the caves in well worth it.

Beautiful sun rise and sunset sets, land is close to the heavens. Great for meditation, spiritual cleansing.

Very nice place to go great views and trails for 4 wheeling

Amazing view! Hope they have hiking map somewhere

Its a walking trail, mountain bike trail, and horseback riding trail. Its right at the edge of some beautiful mountain peaks. At the time of my visit there were quite a few mountain bikers but they were all respectful and we tried to keep out of their way so they dont lose momentum. They appreciated the effort. Great area to explore.

Beautiful hiking. Great place to get away and enjoy beauty.

I love the scenery. The trails are well maintained and the people hiking are always curtiouse and nice. Keep your eyes open for wildlife. We saw wild turkeys a raccoon and a beautiful giant redtail hawk. Love life friends.

Was a wonderful drive through the mountains

Awesome hiking. Challenging at points.

Absolutely beautiful! Quiet and peaceful

So much to do and explore. I love having a national forest right in my backyard.

Gorgeous mountain! Love it and all the wildlife!

It was an amazing place/ view one might say overwhelmingly breathe taking,,,

Its nice and hard trail. La Luz parking spot is not open during construction. But possible to park around

Hiked Domingo Baca trail. Beautiful and not very difficult.

Always a beautiful visit. Sad seeing the burn scar, but happy to see lots of new plant life growing.

Nothing like hiking on a mountain top! Fabulous views, cooler temperatures!

Great challenging hike. It could be marked better.

Great hiking

A lot of cool cacti It was a blast! I would definitely come back

This is a great place to visit. Tall stately trees. Fascinating rock formations. Gorgeous Rivers. You never know what youre going to see next. Solitude. They even have naturally-growing wild potatoes. And all for free.

People are reasonably civilized here. The self check-out makes small purchases easy.

Great hiking and a world away from the desert below

Breathtaking views from the tram make the price more than worth it but considering it takes you to the top in 15 minutes to enjoy the Alpine environment. Bring a wind breaker in every season. The temps in the ground can be 20 degrees warmer and the winds at the top can make it feel even colder.